Friday, November 30, 2012

I always thought Patatas Bravas meant “brave potatoes,”
which seemed a little strange since what was supposed to be so brave about
them? Amazingly delicious, yes, but valiant, fearless or courageous? I don’t
think so.Well, apparently my translation skills were lacking, and come to find
out it actually means “fierce.” Now that makes sense.

As advertised, these arefiercely textured, fiercely
flavored, fiercely presented, and fiercely enjoyed. How fierce is really up to
you and your inner Spaniard. There are as many patatas bravas recipes as homes
in Spain, and this is nothing more than my latest rendition.

As long as you boil them
first, fry crisp, and season earnestly, the rest is open to wild
experimentation. I’ve used all sort of blanching liquids, spice blends, and
sauces, and never been disappointed.

My control around food is generally decent, but I am no
match for a plate of these. Once you start with the toothpick, you’ll be
impaling and eating potatoes until they’re gone. If you are making these for a
group, just do in batches and keep warm in the oven until you have enough. Just
don’t salt until the last second, or they can get soggy. I hope you give these
a try soon. Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Whenever there’s a discussion about the history of celebrity
chef pop culture, one name is invariably left out, and this Swedish Meatballs
recipe served as a reminder of that sad fact. How anyone can talk about the
pioneers of food television without including the Swedish Chef from the Muppets
is beyond me.

His frenetic energy and charisma makes Gordon Ramsey seem
like a shrinking violet by comparison. His technique surpasses Emeril's on
every level, and if we’re just talking catch phrases, how can you even begin to
compare “Yummo” to “Bork, Bork, Bork?”

Some use the excuse that he wasn’t actually real, that he
was just a bunch of stained, smelly fabric, wrapped around some dude’s hairy
forearm. Well, that may be true, but it goes beyond that. I believe there’s
been a systematic discrimination against Swedish chefs, which has made
advancing upward impossible. I call it the ice ceiling.

Do NOT forget the Lingonberry jam!

Anyway, in related news, these Swedish meatballs rocked!
Unlike most of the recipes I post here, I’ve had little experience with the
recipe, but was very happy with the results, except for one major issue, which
I mention in the video. I broke the cardinal rule of meatball making, and used
lean meat.

Not paying attention, I picked up a package of ground pork
that turned out to be 95% lean. The horror. I might as well have used tofu.
Nonetheless, I loved the flavor, butimplore you to use regular ground beef,
and ground pork with a 75/25 lean-to-fat ratio. Do that, and you’ll be enjoying
a plate of meatballs even the world's most under appreciated celebrity chef
would love. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 large portions:

For the meatballs:

2 tbsp butter

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/3 cup plain bread crumbs

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

pinch of cayenne

1 pound ground chuck

1 pound ground pork

*Note: you can always cook a little piece to taste for salt,
and adjust from there.

Monday, November 26, 2012

I have no intention of giving up the best job in the world
anytime soon, but if I do, I’d try and get a job in the marketing department of
a pumpkin puree company.

I’m guessing that like 97% of the canned pumpkin in
this country is used during the time from Halloween until Thanksgiving. So if I
could figure out a way to get people to use this in recipes all year round, I’d
be a total superstar in pumpkin puree marketing circles.

Imagine that. It would be…awesome? Anyway, maybe I should rethink
this whole post-Foodwishes career path, but in the meantime, here’s just one
example of how I would convince the public that pumpkin is great for anytime of
the year. Ironically, I did this because I had leftover pumpkin from
Thanksgiving, but still.

I may have covered this in the last scones post, but I’ve
never been a huge fan of the scone. I’ve always considered it some sort of
effeminate biscuit, but I’m starting to come around in my old age. There’s
nothing like a freshly baked scone with a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee,
especially one tricked out with pumpkin, toasted pine nuts, and maple glaze. I
hope you give this a try soon…or anytime! Enjoy.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Michele and I had a very lovely Thanksgiving holiday with the family in Davis, CA. The food and company were wonderful, and as if that wasn't enough, I also enjoyed a flood of viewers posting pictures of their successful Food Wishes' recipes on Twitter and Instagram. I want to thank everyone who mentioned us this holiday, and I couldn't be happier or more proud of all the beautiful food you created and shared. And while we're on the subject, here are a few highlights from our meal. Enjoy!

Our handsome, free-range turkey was from Branigan's Turkey Farm in Woodland, California, and it was amazing! I did the old, herb-butter under the skin trick, and it was one of the juiciest, most flavorful turkeys in recent memory.

I love to start the Thanksgiving meal with a small salad. This is a great way to get everyone to the table for toasts, grace, etc., and not have to worry about all the food getting cold. While the turkey rests, enjoy a nice pear, persimmon salad with goat cheese, pomegranate, and candied walnuts.

What's Thanksgiving, but an elaborate excuse to eat lots of buttery mashed potatoes? These were fortified with cream cheese as family tradition dictates.

These incredibly tasty sweet potatoes were simply roasted with maple butter and topped with salty, crunchy, toasted pistachios. They were perfect.

I decided to eschew the usual green bean casserole for this new addition to the holiday side repertoire. The beans were tossed with copious amounts of roasted garlic, and then warmed in the oven after a crumbling of Point Reyes blue cheese. No one missed the casserole!

We finished with the pumpkin pie you saw posted a while back, and by the looks of my Twitter feed, so did many of you. I hope you had a great holiday, and enjoy the rest of the weekend. Special thanks to Peggy & Al, Nina & Tom, and Jennifer and Leanne for providing us with such an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for a new video tomorrow!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Manicotti, which means, “little muffs” in Italian, has to be
one of the best ways ever for using up leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

The moist
filling will bring the driest bird back from the dead, and you can literally
add anything that can be chopped up.

Leftover green bean casserole? Throw it in. Peas and
Onions? You bet’cha. Cranberry Sauce? No, don’t be ridiculous. Anyway, thanks
to the absence of cheese, tomato, and pasta on the usual Thanksgiving menu,
this concoction will erase any connection with the aforementioned feast.

One portioning note: The recipe below made six crepes, and
if you make yours slightly smaller, the filling recipe will make six nicely
sized manicotti.

I went low-carb and used all the filling to make four
portions, but you should probably just fill all 6 crepes, or even double the
recipe to get 12. I think you’ll want leftovers of the leftovers.So whether you make manicotti with the last of the holiday
turkey, or just use the technique to recycle other meaty meals, I hope you give
this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 crepes:

2 eggs

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp olive oil

olive oil for cooking crepes as needed*Note: Feel free to adjust the batter's thickness by adding a little flour or water until you get a thin consistency as seen in video.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

You would think the vast majority of the visitors to this
blog would be fine with me posting a new holiday cranberry sauce every
year, but apparently that’s not the case.

After posting the tease picture for
this lovely ginger, pear, cranberry sauce, I received a bunch of comments and
emails with the same basic message, “please don’t, you’re confusing us.”

Evidently, some people like our past cranberry sauce recipes
so much, that they don’t know if they should stick with them, or try a new
version. It’s causing quite the dilemma. Do you go with the one you know you love, and
that garnered so many compliments, or do you try something new and risk it all?

Sorry, I really can’t help you decide, but at least let me make an
already tough call, even tougher. This gingery, pear-studded cranberry sauce
was simply amazing. I’ve been wanting to try pear in a cranberry sauce forever,
and this was so fantastic that I’m a little upsetI waited this long.

Anyway, I hope your Thanksgiving menu is shaping up nicely,
and that tomorrow will bring a table full of fabulous food. Whether you use
this cranberry sauce, or an older version, or heaven help us, one from another
blog, I hope you and your family have a great holiday. Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

My friends at Allrecipes.com have put together a great
recipe hub for Thanksgiving, and as I glanced down the page, I saw this
gorgeous pumpkin flan in their gluten-free section. I quickly realized it was a
recipe I'd posted a few years ago, and pretty much forgotten about. It only
took one glance to remind me of this sweet, satisfying, and yet still
relatively light holiday dessert.

Anyway, I wanted to share this delicious blast from the
past, and also provide you with a link to the extensive Thanksgiving recipe index over at Allrecipes for all your last minute needs. Enjoy!

Monday, November 19, 2012

It’s always nice when you start out making one thing,
and it unexpectedly turns into something else, which ends up being far better
than you expected. Such was the case with this quite homely, yet amazingly
delicious sweet corn and wild mushroom spoonbread.

I was trying to do a simple, wild mushroom-studded,
sweet corn casserole to reinforce our holiday side dish repertoire, and before I
knew it, I was eating the best, most flavorful cornbread dressing I’d ever
tasted. Not only that, but we completely eliminated the step of having to make
corn bread first!

Of course, I wish I could do stuff like this on purpose, but
like my golf buddies used to say, “better lucky, than good.” The only drawback,
as I obsessed over in the video, was the less that stellar appearance when it
came out of the oven. I may try some type of gratin topping next time, but
honestly, this was so wonderful tasting that I can’t even pretend to be upset
over such superficial concerns. I
hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

We are thrilled to announce that Food Wishes is a Taste Awards finalist in two categories this year! As you may know, we've won an award two years in a row, and would love to keep the streak going. There's no cash prize involved, but something way more valuable...bragging rights!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Here we go again, delving into the treacherous topic of
changing up your traditional Thanksgiving side dishes. This time, it’s an
old-fashioned cracker dressing vying to be that surprise, uninvited guest.

Sure some you alternative lifestylists may go for the
cornbread, but generally, bread-based variations rule the day. There’s a
great reason for this; they’re easy, delicious, and most importantly, very
familiar. Therein lies the problem.

Why mess with past success? Your loved ones wait all year
for your Thanksgiving feast, so why take the chance of disappointing them on
the big day? You have the entire rest of the year to do that.

Anyway, I’m not going to try and convince you that this is a
superior dressing, or that you should change your regular routine, but if
you’re someone who's looking for a change of pace dressing, that’s still very familiar and
comforting, this could be the one.

Of course, you can use whatever ingredients you normally add
to your bread dressing, and it should work just the same. By the way, I never
stuff my turkey, so if you choose to use this as a stuffing, please refer to
the roughly one million Thanksgiving turkey cooking guides linked online. Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

My inability to help visitors to this blog with questions
about gluten-free Thanksgiving baking has been well documented. I’m a gluten junkie of the
highest order, and know almost nothing about gluten-free substitutions, which
is why I shy away from giving advice that could potentially make someone ill.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

This Thanksgiving, we’re assuming your turkey will be juicy;
your mashed potatoes lump-free; and your gravy, smooth as silk. You are a
regular visitor here, after all.

However, it’s probably not a bad idea to hedge
your bets and serve a pumpkin pie so tasty and texturally perfect that no
matter what goes wrong, everyone will leave with a smile on
their face, and a delicious memory in their heart.By the way, this is that pie.

After many years of experimentation, I’ve
finally perfected what I think is the ideal formula. As I mention in the video,
I’ve removed an egg white, and replaced it with some additional yolks. This
results in a pie that’s not only richer, but also much less likely to crack.

Of course, you still need to not to overcook it. An extra 5
minutes in the oven is kryptonite to even the most brilliant pumpkin pie
formulas. Use the knife test I demonstrated and you should be fine. Worst case,
there’s always the whipped cream. Ah, the whipped cream.

I remember my friend, and world-famous photographer, Andrew Scrivani telling me about a food stylist whose spoon work is so sexy and
enticing that she makes a good living just specializing in dollops. Well, I’d
like to take this opportunity to apologize for ruining her career.

Once the world sees the slow-mo magic that is the old,
“twist, three-thrusts, and a pull,” I’m assuming she’ll be out of business in
no time. That’s right, now anyone will be able to do magazine-quality dollops like
a boss (and by boss, I mean overpaid food stylist).

Anyway, ruined careers aside, this really is a fantastic,
and incredibly easy pumpkin pie recipe, and I sincerely hope you consider
adding it to your holiday menu this year. Enjoy!

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Since New York City and surrounding areas are still in such desperate
need of help, I thought I’d post links to some of our favorite NYC-inspired
recipes, in the hopes you’ll think to yourself, “After all the delicious food
the Big Apple has given to us, the least I can do is give a few bucks to the
Red Cross to help them out.” After enjoying some pizza, cheesecake, blintzes, and pastrami, please follow this link and give what you can. Thanks and enjoy!

Friday, November 9, 2012

I love a hearty beef chili as much as the next guy, but once
in a while there’s nothing wrong with going over to the light side, and
enjoying an equally comforting bowl of white bean and chicken chili.I’ve always used thighs for my chicken chili, which of
course have more fat and flavor, but after a bunch of requests for a chicken
breast version, I decided give it a go, and I was very happy with the results.

The key is to not overcook the chicken when you sear it.
You want it slightly undercooked, maybe about 150 degrees F. internal temp,
since it will cook all the way when we add it back in. You’ll notice when I
slice mine, there’s a little bit of opaqueness to the flesh, which is what you
want.

This is intended to be a relatively quick and simple
weeknight meal, so I didn’t add much in the way of extras, but things like
peppers, squash, and mushrooms are always welcomed additions.

I know you’re probably missing those long, warm summer days
right about now, but one of the great things about this season’s cold, wet
weather is that it begs for recipes like this. I hope you pour yourself a
beer, grab a chunk of bread, and dig into a bowl of this soon. Enjoy!

Thursday, November 8, 2012

The weather just turned cold and wet here in San Francisco,
and when that happens I always crave something hot and comforting, ladled from
a steamingpot. I do have a brand new video to post for Friday that
fits the bill nicely, but due to circumstances beyond my control, it will not be up
until late in the day.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this video recipe for
beef merlot that I posted a few years ago. It’s an easy take-off on beef
bourguignon, and one of my all-time, cold-weather favorites. Be sure to read the original post here, to find out why the heck I used merlot. Enjoy!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

About 30 years ago, I made puff pastry from scratch in
culinary school. It came out really, really well, and I haven’t made it since.
Why? Because frozen puff pastry is so readily available, so consistently
perfect, and so easy to work with, that the thought of going through all the
time and trouble to make my own seems kind of crazy.

Of course, that’s a poor attitude for a cook, and one I’ve
been fighting against all these years as I convince people that making your own
bread, dressings, cheese, crème fraiche, etc. is a worthwhile pursuit. So,
eventually I will show you how to make puff pastry, and hopefully somehow
reconcile this obvious hypocrisy, but for now, we defrost.

By the way, I realize that berry season is probably over
where you live, but fresh California blackberries were still around a few weeks
ago when I filmed this video, and so I’m posting it anyway, seasonality be
damned. This is really about the technique for making little puff pastry tart
shells anyway, and I’m very confident you’ll figure out how to fill them.

Speaking of which, don’t limit your brainstorming to sweet
treats. These lovely little cups make for a stellar base for all kinds of
savory bites. I’ve filled these with sautéed mushrooms, chicken salads, and
smoked salmon, just to name a few. Regardless of what you fill them with, they
will be very well received. I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 tartlets:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, partially thawed (you should get
12 tartlets if you use a 2-inch cutter like I did)

Monday, November 5, 2012

I’m not a big fan of “make-ahead” recipes, but when it comes
to Thanksgiving, the less we have to do before dinner, the better. This turkey
wing gravy will not only free up valuable kitchen time, but chances are it will
look and taste even better than those frantic, last-minute versions.

A world-class gravy, while not a difficult procedure, does
require a little bit of finesse and attention to detail. Of course, screaming
kids, chatty relatives, and alcohol consumption are the natural enemies of
finesse and attention to detail, so for that reason I’m a big fan of this
alternative technique.

By the way, as I mentioned at the end of the video, just
because you’re making this ahead of time, doesn’t mean you’re throwing away all
those amazing pan drippings. While your turkey’s resting (should be at least 30
minutes), pour off the juices, skim off the fat, and add it to your gravy.

For this reason, I’ll generally make the gravy a little
thicker than I want, knowing I’m going to dump another cup or so of liquid in
later. Speaking of thickness, as with all the sauces we do, you are in complete
control. If you want thicker gravy, use more roux and/or reduce further. If you
want something a bit lighter, use less roux and/or more stock.

Either way, making the turkey gravy ahead of time is just
smart logistics, and frees you up for more important things, like watching
football and fishing for compliments. I hope you give this a try. Enjoy!

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Tabbouleh is another one
of those popular recipes for which I’ve received hundreds of food wishes for,
and yet inexplicably I’ve still not posted one. Why not? I have no idea. I’m as
mystified as anyone. In the meantime, I wanted to share this fine version from friend
of the blog Robert Sogomonian (aka @psyrixx). You can check out his original post here. Enjoy!

Friday, November 2, 2012

I’m calling this lemon curd “lite” because it does have less
fat than most traditional recipes, but that doesn’t mean it’s a “light” recipe.
Calling this recipe “lite” is kind of like calling thin-crust pizza,
“low-carb.” It’s all relative.

Speaking of relative, as I mention in the video,
this would make a great holiday gift, so even if you’re not a big fan of lemon,
pay attention nonetheless.

Above and beyond the nominally fewer calories, I really like
the appearance and texture of this style lemon curd better anyway. Recipes that
contain all yolks instead of whole eggs, and up to twice as much butter, are
just too rich and heavy for my taste.

Since this is typically served as a sauce for things like
gingerbread and scones, or as a filling for cakes, I don’t see the advantages
of an overly heavy concoction. The one exception for me would be pies and
tarts, where you probably do want the more hardcore variations.

I know a lot of you get nervous when whisking eggs over heat
is involved, but as you’ll see, this is really simple to do. Besides, if
tragedy does strike, and you get a few pieces of overcooked eggs in the
mixture, simply put it through a strainer before adding the zest and butter. No
one will ever know! With the holidays right around the corner, I hope you give
this easy, old-fashioned lemon curd I try. Enjoy!